Cosmos duo places 2-3 at Southern Conference tourney

Springfield didn’t have the four golfers required to compete for the team title at the Southern Conference Division 2 Championship, so the Cosmos did what they could with what they had. And that was to post two of the top three rounds at Wednesday's tournament at Crown Point Country Club.

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2016-05-19 / Sports Cosmos duo places 2-3 at Southern Conference tourney By TIM TAYLOR sports@eagletimes.com Springfield’s Michael Messer watches his tee shot on the 10th hole at the Southern Conference Division 2 Championship at Crown Point Country Club Wednesday. — TIM TAYLOR Springfield’s Michael Messer watches his tee shot on the 10th hole at the Southern Conference Division 2 Championship at Crown Point Country Club Wednesday. — TIM TAYLOR SPRINGFIELD — Springfield didn’t have the four golfers required to compete for the team title at the Southern Conference Division 2 Championship, so the Cosmos did what they could with what they had. And that was to post two of the top three rounds at Wednesday's tournament at Crown Point Country Club. Michael Messer carded an 18-hole score of 86, edging out teammate Conor Foulois by one stroke for runner-up honors. The third Springfield golfer, Tyler Thomas, shot 110. Medalist honors went to team champion Woodstock’s Joe Bianchi, who went 1-over on the back nine to post a 79 on the par-70 course. “Two of my guys shot really well and the third shot some of his best golf, that's one of his better scores,” said Springfield coach Brandon Kear. “It's nice seeing the progress that they're making. And they're getting hot at the right time for qualifiers for state, which is always nice as well.” Messer played par/bogey golf most of the round. He recorded four pars during his round, three coming on par-5 holes (2, 7, 15). Foulois had five pars, including back-to-back efforts on holes 8-9 and 11-12. “I'm proud of them,” Kear said. “It stinks that we couldn't compete [as a team], but as long as they're growing individually. Hopefully, we can get some more commitment in the upcoming years. This program has a lot of years to grow.” Messer and Foulois have been playing for a while, while Thomas is king of starting back up again, according to Kear. Like most golfers, Messer and Foulois were tough on themselves when it came to critiquing their play, although they did see some positives as well. “I think I didn't play as well as I could have,” Foulois said. “My drives could have been better, putting could have been a lot better. An 87 really isn't that bad, but definitely could have been better. “My strong point would have been my short game; my chipping, my approaches, definitely, and most of my iron shots were good.” “I think my drives weren't the best,” Messer said. “I think I could have hit it straighter, further, but, other than that my approach shots and my putting was great. I was doing great chipping, and putting, no three-putts. The Cosmos will have almost two weeks to tweak their games before heading to the VPA D2 state qualifier at Rutland on May 31. Kear would like to see his entire trio qualify. “My expectations are that we get some players that qualify,” Kear said. “I'm hoping everyone qualifies.” Messer and Foulois qualified for states last year. Springfield will get to check out the Rutland course with a match coming up there Monday.